1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for promoting plant biomass by overexpression of a small GTP binding protein RabG3b, a vector including the relevant gene, a transgenic plant including the vector and a method for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, specifically modified plants may be acquired using molecular technology in agriculture, gardening, biomass conversion and other industries (i.e., paper industry, protein or plant as the production factor for other compounds). For example, excellent utility of crop cultivation may be generated from controlling the size of plant as the overall organs or any parts of the organs, or any number of organs.
Similarly, controlling the size and the height of plant, its specific portion, its rate of growth or seedling vitality enables production of more suitable plants in specific industries. For example, decrease in the height of specific crops and species of trees may be useful according to easier harvesting. Alternatively, the increased height and thickness of the plant, or the size and the number of organs may be made efficient by supplying much more biomass that is useful for processing into food, feed, fuel and/or chemicals. (Refer to the website of United States Department of Energy on energy efficiency and regeneration). Other examples of commercially desirable features include increase in length of the stem of cut flowers, increase or change in the size and shape of leaves, promotion of seeds and/or fruits. Changes in the size and the number of organs, and biomass also lead to change in the weight of components such as the secondary products and conversion into manufacture of compounds which are derived from plant.
Experts and researchers in the fields of Agricultural Science, Agriculture, Crop Science, Gardening, and Forest Science have made continuous efforts to effectively search and produce plants which show increased growth in order to secure the supply of foods and renewable materials to a fast-growing population over the world. In such science fields, their complicated researches point out that they are important leaders in all geographical environments and climates over the world, in supply of sustainable sources of foods, feeds and energy to the group.
Manipulation of performance of agricultural products has been conventionally achieved through plant breeding for centuries. However, such breeding procedure is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, breeding programs should be specifically designed for relative species of plants.
On the other hand, molecular genetic approaches have been used as an excellent procedure in order to prepare plants that produce better crops. Using introduction and expression of recombinant nucleic acid molecules in the plant, researchers are now prepared for supplying the group with species of plants which are adjusted for more efficient growth and more products, regardless of specific geographical and/or climatic environments. Their new approaches have an additional advantage of applying to other complex species of plants, without being restricted to one species of plant (Zhang et al. (2004) Plant Physiol. 135:615).
Regardless of this procedure, generally applicable procedures are currently required to improve the growth of plants in forest and agricultural industry for the purpose of satisfying specific requests, which depends on specific environmental conditions. Finally, the present invention relates to useful manipulation of the size of plant, the number of organ, the plant's rate of growth, the plant structure and/or biomass in order to make plants grow, seek profits specified by expression of recombinant DNA molecules and maximize profits of various agricultural products which are dependent on a specific environment. These molecules may be originated from the plant itself or simply expressed at a higher or lower level. Moreover, they may be originated from other species of plants.